JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Events are scheduled all around the First Coast to celebrate Pride month, and here at First Coast News, we’re shining a spotlight on one local organization that is making sure students in the LGBTQ+ community have the funds they need to go to college.
The Jacksonville chapter of the national organization PFLAG hands out thousands of scholarships every year and June 15 is the deadline for students to get their hands on the funds.
“When you’re trying to discover yourself and find yourself in this world, it’s easy to feel alone and isolated," Brandy Camp, a PFLAG scholarship recipient, said.
When Camp was starting her junior year of college at a new university, she needed a new community and financial help. She found both through PFLAG.
“They opened up this whole community not just by giving me the scholarship but by providing me with all of the resources and with all these people that I can turn on and rely on," Camp said.
PFLAG stands for 'Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays'. Every year the organization rewards multiple scholarships up to $2,000.
The applicant must have recently lived in or are going to school in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam or St. Johns counties, have been admitted to a post-secondary school and be a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
PFLAG President Cindy Nobles has seen first-hand how the funding helps students who identify with the LGBTQ+ community chase their dreams.
“Especially younger people whose parents still have to fill out the FASA, if they’ve been ex-communicated by their families or their parents are unwilling to fill out the FASA on their behalf they can’t get financial aid so sometimes our scholarships goes to people who wouldn’t be able to go to school without it," said Nobles.
Over the last two decades, more than 340 scholarships have been awarded and with many students starting careers on the First Coast, it’s an investment that gives back to the community.
“I came back after college, was able to take my degree and all of my experiences and now I work here over at the courthouse," Camp said.